"Fairy Qing…"
The moment Nan Qing appeared, many of the inhabitants of the floating continent felt a surge of hope in their eyes.
However, more people still wore expressions of despair and defeat. Faced with such an endless tide of Dark Beings, even if Nan Qing were incredibly powerful, she couldn't possibly kill them all.
Moreover, the Dark Beings that had appeared later were clearly much stronger than the ones before.
Nan Qing's gaze was calm as she looked at the endless tide of Dark Beings. She sheathed her sword, her skirt fluttering gently in the wind. Her snow-white wrist was adorned with a string of beads, each one glowing with a soft, multicolored light, polished to perfection and varying in color.
Beneath her veil, her red lips parted slightly, as if uttering a single word. The word was ancient and obscure, as if it transcended the vastness of time itself. No one could hear it clearly, but the moment it was spoken, the entire chaotic spacetime sea trembled faintly.
Hum!
At the same time, the string of beads flew off her wrist, each bead separating and flying into the void. In an instant, a hazy light erupted, illuminating the entire sky as if it had become transparent.
The two sides of the world seemed to be completely separated, like the boundary between day and night. A massive barrier, as if descending from the deepest reaches of the heavens, clearly divided the two sides.
Yin and Yang flowed, black and white energies intertwined, and infinite mysteries manifested.
All the Dark Beings that charged forward melted like snow under the sun the moment they touched the barrier, completely blocked from advancing.
The endless black fog was also held back on the other side, unable to approach the floating continent any further.
Seeing this, the people of the floating continent couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Although the light barrier left by the Saint Ancestor had shattered, Fairy Qing had created a new barrier that could also block the Dark Beings.
"Was Fairy Qing in seclusion these past few days because of this?"
Many people felt hope rekindled and fought with renewed vigor, battling the Dark Beings around them to drive them out of the floating continent.
"How long can you hold out?"
Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the earth as a massive Dark Giant, towering like a mountain and shrouded in thick black fog, approached.
It let out a deep, rumbling voice, like thunder crashing down, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.
Behind this Dark Giant, several other terrifying Dark Beings also approached, their cold, eerie gazes seeming to come from the deepest depths of hell. They didn't speak, but their mere presence was enough to send chills down the spines of all who saw them.
The Dark Giant sneered, then swung its massive fist, slamming it into the barrier.
The sheer force of the blow caused the void to crack, and the rules of the Great Dao to erode. It was as if a corner of the heavens and earth was being twisted, using the sky itself as a weapon. The power was unimaginable.
Each punch landed on the barrier, sending ripples across its surface. Even an ancient world would have been shattered into pieces under such force.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Everyone in the floating continent held their breath, watching with grave expressions, fearing that the barrier would shatter at any moment.
Nan Qing, however, remained calm and indifferent, seemingly unconcerned about the barrier breaking.
Then, her gaze swept across the Dark Beings that had infiltrated the floating continent. With a gentle wave of her hand, she pressed forward.
A vast, overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped the entire floating continent. Billions of sword lights surged, sweeping across every inch of space. All the Dark Beings that had advanced began to dissolve and retreat.
In an instant, all the Dark Beings within the floating continent were completely eradicated. In the face of absolute power, even the Dark Beings that terrified the world were no exception.
---
"Gu Li, don't waste your energy. You won't be able to break this barrier. But it won't last long either—it's just a hastily made, crude construct."
"Once time runs out, it will naturally collapse…"
A cold, ancient voice echoed from within the black fog. A faint figure sat deep within, its cold, eerie gaze fixed on the floating continent.
The Dark Giant, clearly respectful of this figure, reluctantly stopped its attacks after hearing these words.
"Retreat. We'll return to slaughter this place once the barrier fades."
The faint figure's cold gaze seemed to linger on the floating continent for a moment before it spoke again, its tone icy and indifferent.
As soon as its words fell, the endless black fog began to recede like a tide, and all the Dark Beings retreated into the depths of the chaotic spacetime sea.
The oppressive pressure that had enveloped the floating continent gradually dissipated. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, feeling as if they had narrowly escaped death. Many collapsed to the ground, looking at the devastated surroundings with sorrow.
"Grandfather, hold on! Master has taken action, and the Dark Beings have retreated…"
Zhu Xuan carried the semi-conscious Elder Zhu back into the floating continent, his face filled with anxiety and unease. Strands of black fog were now visible on his grandfather's face, seeping out from his nostrils, eyes, and ears, nearly covering his entire face.
"Grandson, I… have already been tainted by the Dark Matter. Perhaps… I will soon transform into a Dark Being. Zhu Xuan, you must not concern yourself with me anymore."
Elder Zhu struggled to open his eyes, a faint glimmer of light appearing in his murky gaze, as if a final spark of life remained.
"That's impossible, Grandfather! You won't turn into a Dark Being!"
Zhu Xuan's eyes turned red, his voice choked with emotion. He tightly held his grandfather's withered, bleeding body, trembling uncontrollably.
"Don't… worry about me. While I still have my senses, kill me quickly. I don't want to become a Dark Being and turn my blade against you."
Elder Zhu's voice trembled as he spoke with great difficulty.
He knew the state of his body. He didn't have much time left.
When he had activated the Primordial Chaos Pearl to resist the Dark Matter, he had been infected. His internal organs had been corroded, and the Dark Matter was now spreading to his lungs and heart.
Since ancient times, almost no living being had ever recovered after being tainted by Dark Matter, not even those at the peak of the Ancestral Dao Realm.
Moreover, he was already at the end of his life, far from his prime.
"Grandfather, you won't become a Dark Being. Master will definitely have a way to save you."
"Master will surely save you…" Zhu Xuan's eyes were bloodshot, his voice choked with sobs as he trembled uncontrollably.
"Even Fairy Qing can't save me, foolish child. While I still have my senses, kill me quickly."
Elder Zhu moved his lips, trying to appear kind and gentle. He reached out with a withered, branch-like hand, as if to touch Zhu Xuan's face.
However, when his hand was halfway there, it suddenly froze, as if all strength had left him, and it fell limply to the ground.
At the same time, a chaotic black fog began to seep from his eyes, and a deathly grayish-green hue appeared on his aged face.
"Grandfather!"
Zhu Xuan's expression changed drastically, his eyes red as he cried out in anguish, his voice like that of a wounded beast.
The inhabitants of the floating continent who witnessed this scene were filled with sorrow and helplessness, their hearts heavy with grief.
During this attack by the Dark Beings, many people on the floating continent had already died.
Many familiar faces were gone. To prevent them from turning into Dark Beings, many had been forced to destroy the bodies of their loved ones.
"Zhu Xuan, don't let Elder Zhu's sacrifice be in vain. While he hasn't fully transformed into a Dark Being yet…"
An elderly man spoke with reluctance and pain, trying to persuade him.
The descendants of the ancient sages had always fought against the Dark Beings, and they knew all too well the horrors and strangeness of this race.
Even in death, if one was tainted by Dark Matter, they could undergo a transformation, giving birth to a new consciousness within their original body, becoming a new entity.
Zhu Xuan's face was filled with grief. How could he bring himself to kill the grandfather who had raised him, taught him, and cared for him?
"Fairy Qing…"
"Please, save my grandfather."
He turned to Nan Qing, crawling and stumbling toward her before kneeling on the ground.
Although he often referred to himself as Fairy Qing's disciple, he knew she had never officially acknowledged him as such. So now, he didn't dare call her "Master," fearing it might displease her.
The people of the floating continent also looked at Fairy Qing, their eyes filled with hope and expectation.
"The Dark Matter has already corroded his heart and meridians. If it had been earlier, there might have been a chance to expel it…"
"Or if my mother were still here, she might have had a way."
"But I… cannot save him. I'm sorry."
Nan Qing descended from the white crane, glancing briefly at Elder Zhu, who lay on the ground. She frowned slightly, then shook her head calmly.
Hearing this, Zhu Xuan was stunned, his eyes wide with disbelief. He murmured, "Even you can't save my grandfather?"
"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do."
Nan Qing shook her head again, her voice tinged with a hint of helplessness.
The people of the floating continent also wore expressions of sorrow and resignation. If even Fairy Qing said so, then there truly was no hope.
Zhu Xuan's face turned ashen as he sat on the ground, staring at his grandfather, whose body was now emitting wisps of black fog. His heart was filled with unbearable pain.
"However, I can try to slow down the corrosion of the Dark Matter in Elder Zhu's body, buying him some time."
"But whether we can find a way to expel the Dark Matter later… I don't know."
Seeing Zhu Xuan's despair, Nan Qing seemed to soften slightly, letting out a faint sigh.
Hearing this, Zhu Xuan immediately looked up, his eyes filled with hope.
Without saying more, Nan Qing stepped forward, her lotus-like feet carrying her to Elder Zhu's side. With a gentle touch of her finger, a small, jade-like bead, about the size of a thumb, emerged from her sleeve and landed on Elder Zhu's forehead.
As the bead settled, a clear, radiant light spread out, enveloping Elder Zhu's consciousness and protecting it from the Dark Matter.
The black fog that had spread across his face gradually receded, but below his neck, his body remained tainted, a deep, ominous black, as if it had already transformed into the body of a Dark Being.
"Thank you, Fairy Qing."
Seeing Elder Zhu's expression gradually calm, Zhu Xuan let out a sigh of relief, his voice filled with gratitude.
Nan Qing shook her head. "This Soul-Stabilizing Pearl can only protect Elder Zhu's spirit from the Dark Matter for a limited time. But…"
She hesitated, not finishing her sentence.
"Is there any way to completely save my grandfather and expel the Dark Matter?"
"No matter how difficult or dangerous, I'm willing to try."
Zhu Xuan, like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline, urgently asked.
"My mother once tried many methods to expel the Dark Matter from those she cared about, but none succeeded. The origin of the Dark Matter likely lies in the legendary Land of Truth. Ordinary methods are useless—in fact, the more you try to expel it, the faster it spreads. Energy, consciousness, thoughts, even a single idea can become a medium for its spread…"
"If Elder Zhu's will is strong enough, he might find a way to resist the Dark Matter and return to the world of the living."
Nan Qing glanced at Zhu Xuan, her voice calm and steady, devoid of emotion.
Hearing this, Zhu Xuan's heart sank, filled with despair. Even the Saint Ancestor of the floating continent had failed.
---
"There is a way to resist and expel the Dark Matter. If she won't tell you, I will."
Suddenly, a calm, indifferent voice rang out. A streak of white light descended from the distance, carrying a slender figure seated atop a True Howler.
She wore a bamboo hat, its veil obscuring her face, revealing only a pair of icy blue eyes as cold and beautiful as snow.
She had entered the floating continent during the battle with the Dark Beings and hadn't been blocked by the barrier.
"Who are you?"
Zhu Xuan stared blankly at the figure.
Nan Qing's gaze also turned scrutinizing, as if assessing her.
The people of the floating continent finally realized.
This was the person who had intervened earlier, saving many, including Zhu Xuan, from the tide of Dark Beings.
"Kid, is this how you treat your savior? Not even a word of thanks?"
The snow-white True Hou's bell-like eyes swept over Zhu Xuan and the others, speaking in a human voice with a casual tone.
Zhu Xuan quickly stood up and bowed in gratitude.
The others, however, looked at the woman and the beast with suspicion.
"No need for formalities. We are all descendants of the ancient sages, hunted by the remnants of the Black Calamity. I naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing."
"Though I didn't expect that the Pan Clan, once revered as the Heaven-Opening Divine Race, would fall to such a state, with only you remaining."
The figure seated atop the True Howler gazed at Zhu Xuan, studying him for a long moment before speaking calmly.
"The Pan Clan?"
Zhu Xuan was stunned, and the inhabitants of the floating continent were equally shocked.
Only a few of the oldest among them looked at Zhu Xuan with dawning realization.
"The titles of the five leaders—Central Monarch, Southern Sage, Eastern Emperor, Western Sage, and Northern Emperor—are surely known to you. The leader of the Pan Clan was revered by the myriad races as the Eastern Emperor."
"Don't you even know that the blood of the Pan Clan flows within you?"
The figure on the True Howler spoke indifferently.
"A'Li, they might not understand what you're saying. That era is separated from us by countless eons. Who remembers those things anymore, let alone the five leaders?" The True Howler shook its large head.
The people of the floating continent naturally knew of this, as their Saint Ancestor was the Southern Sage, Nan Qing's mother.
But Zhu Xuan was completely stunned by these words. He thought of the images and memories that often surfaced in his mind.
On moonlit nights, under dark skies, terrifying figures descended from the void like black fog, reaping all life.
His family had long been annihilated, wiped from existence.
"I don't know my identity or origins. I only want to know how I can save my grandfather." Zhu Xuan looked up sharply at the woman named A'Li.
"If you want to save your grandfather, you must seek the power of the Creation Pool once worshipped by your Pan Clan. Only the treasures of the first civilization can resist the Dark Matter, and only the Creation Pool can cleanse the taint of Dark Matter." A'Li spoke as calmly as ever.
"The Creation Pool?"
This name sent a shock through the people of the floating continent, and even Nan Qing's expression showed a flicker of surprise.
"The Pan Clan is long gone, and the Creation Pool has been lost. What is your purpose in sending him to find it?" Nan Qing's sharp eyes fixed on A'Li, her tone equally calm.
"Of course I know the Pan Clan is no more. Otherwise, why would I come here to find him?"
A'Li's tone was casual, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. She seemed unconcerned about hiding her intentions.